23 Times Actors And Directors Snuck Their Own Kids Into A Scene
Nepotism is an obvious issue in Hollywood, with many major roles going to the children of people with industry connections. Sometimes, however, a director gives their own kid a quick cameo that's meant to be a fun Easter egg rather than a launching pad for their acting career. Other times, an actor's own child is cast to play the younger version of them because of their strong resemblance.
ABC / Via giphy.com
Here are 23 cameos from actors' and directors' kids you probably missed:
1.Angelina Jolie's daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, was given the role of young Aurora in Maleficent because the other 3- and 4-year-old actors "wouldn’t come near" Angelina in her villain makeup.
"It had to be a child that liked me and wasn’t afraid of my horns and my eyes and my claws. So it had to be Viv," she told Entertainment Weekly.
2.Mark Hamill's children — Nathan, Griffin, and Chelsea Hamill — all played resistance fighters in Stars Wars: The Last Jedi.
They were also featured in a Star Wars book.
3.When John David Washington was 6, he played one of the Harlem students in the end scene of Malcolm X, which starred his father, Denzel Washington.
Denzel's mother, Lennis Washington, also had a cameo in the film as Mrs. Johnson.
4.Director Paul W.S. Anderson cast his daughter, Ever Anderson, to play the young version of Alicia Marcus, who was played by her mom, Mila Jovovich, in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.
It was Ever's first acting credit, and she's gone on to have major roles in movies like Black Widow and the upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy.
5.Maude and Iris Apatow played the daughters of their real-life mom, Leslie Mann, in Knocked Up, which was directed by their dad, Judd Apatow.
They reprised their roles in This Is 40.
6.Before Tom Holland landed the role, director and actor Jon Favreau's son, Max Favreau, played Peter Parker in Iron Man 2.
The director himself played Happy Hogan.
7.Tina Fey cast her daughter, Alice Richmond, as a young Liz Lemon in a 30 Rock flashback scene.
She returned for the 2020 reunion special.
8.When Demi Moore played Samantha Albertson in Now and Then, her daughter, Rumer Willis, played her younger sister Angela.
Rumer also worked with her dad, Bruce Willis, in The Whole Nine Yards, Hostage, and Air Strike.
9.Director George Lucas's daughter, Katie Lucas, had a singular line as Anakin Skywalker's childhood friend in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
His other children have also had multiple Star Wars cameos of their own.
10.In Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the younger version of Robert Downey Jr.'s character, Harry Lockhart, was played by his son, Indio Falconer Downey.
RDJ's wife, Susan Downey, was also part of the movie as a producer.
11.Mikey Day's real son (whose name Mikey and his family choose to keep private) played his onscreen son in the Saturday Night Live sketch "Children's Clothing Ad."
"He hit his mark, took direction like a pro, and was professional and polite to all the hardworking people around him. Plus, dude woke his ass up at 5 a.m. as he had a very early call time. So very proud of this little crusher," Mikey wrote on Instagram.
12.Dakota Johnson made her acting debut in Crazy in Alabama alongside her mom, Melanie Griffith.
It was also directed by Melanie's then-husband, Antonio Banderas.
13.Director Alfred Hitchcock's daughter, Patricia Hitchcock, played Caroline in Psycho.
She also played small parts in his projects Stage Fright, Strangers on a Train, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
14.Tom Hanks's daughter, Elizabeth Hanks, rode the bus with the younger version of her father's character in Forrest Gump.
Alexander Zemekis, the son of director Robert Zemekis, also had a cameo in this scene.
15.Director Stanley Kubrick's daughter, Katharina Kubrick, had a brief cameo in Eyes Wide Shut as the mother of a boy played by her real-life son, Alex Hobbs.
She also created several original paintings for the film's art department.
16.Bryce Dallas Howard appeared as an extra midway through A Beautiful Mind, which was directed by her father, Ron Howard.
There's another cameo from the son of John Nash, the subject of the biopic.
17.Kevin Smith cast his daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, as the younger version of his character, Silent Bob, in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
Kevin Smith also wrote and directed the film. When Harley was older, she played another role in the franchise — Millennium "Milly" Faulken in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
18.Christopher Nolan cast his son, Rory Nolan, as a little boy at the bridge in The Dark Knight Rises.
The working title for The Dark Knight, the previous movie in the Batman trilogy, was Rory's First Kiss.
19.Playing the role of Veronica's daughter, Liza Minnelli walks hand-in-hand with her mother, Judy Garland, in the closing scene of In the Good Old Summertime.
Though uncredited, it was her acting debut.
20.Hannah Montana was truly a family affair — Billy Ray Cyrus starred alongside his daughter Miley, but his youngest daughter, Noah Cyrus, also cameoed.
She cameoed on the show a total of seven times.
21.Shiloh Jolie-Pitt played the baby version of Caroline in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which her father, Brad Pitt, starred in.
It remains Shiloh's only onscreen role, though she later had a voice role in Kung Fu Panda 3 alongside her mother, Angelina Jolie.
22.Bridget Fonda played an extra in Easy Rider, which her father, Peter Fonda starred in.
Peter also wrote the script.
23.And finally, director Ivan Reitman's son, Jason Reitman, told the Ghostbusters that his dad "thinks you're full of crap" in Ghostbusters II.
Jason kept the franchise in the family and directed the forthcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
